LAST week’s Craven Curiosity proved to be a real ‘snip’ to identify, with almost everyone correctly pointing out that the item was a hair trimmer. The most comprehensive comment came from Allan Friswell, of Cowling, who said: “Home hair clippers, manually operated rather than electric. My family had a pair, which were rarely used since they took forever to clip neck and sideburn hair short and had a tendency to tug it out instead. The butterfly nut could be unscrewed to insert replacement blades - even new ones weren’t that sharp. The screw allowed for angle adjustment to suit the cutter herself - I say ‘her’ since it was inevitably my mother who put us through this torture!”

Similar identifications - some similarly harrowing! - came from Cath Cooney, Wendy Robinson of Gargrave, Beryl Dalton of Glusburn, Elaine Wills, Anne Lindsay of

Steeton and Teresa Whittle of Eldwick, while Maureen Batty said: “The item this week is hair clippers. My father had a barber’s shop in Settle and had quite a few of them.”

Anne Read, of The Museum of North Craven Life in Settle, explains: “This intricately designed manual beard trimmer consists of six different components which could be taken apart for easy cleaning. It was part of the stock-in-trade of Alf Sewell, employed as a barber by Hunt Bros, who ran a business in Settle Town Hall which included high-class hairdressing for ladies and gentlemen.” This week’s Curiosity is pictured above - send suggestions to news@cravenherald.co.uk by 8am on Monday.